The New York Knicks are NBA champions for the first time in 53 years, and the city plans to celebrate with a championship parade in Manhattan on Thursday.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced the plans on social media shortly after the Knicks closed out the San Antonio Spurs in Game 5 of the 2026 NBA Finals.
The celebration will mark a first for the franchise. Despite winning titles in 1970 and 1973, the Knicks did not hold parades after either championship. This time, the team will ride through the famed Canyon of Heroes, traveling down Broadway from The Battery to City Hall, where a formal ceremony will follow. Players and staff are also set to receive keys to the city, while City Hall and other municipal buildings will be illuminated in the team’s blue-and-orange colors.
“For more than 50 years, New Yorkers have waited for this moment,” Mamdani said in a statement. “Through near misses, heartbreak and a hope that every year could be our year, this city never stopped believing in the Knicks. And this team fulfilled that hope with grit, resilience and heart — just like the five boroughs itself.”
He added: “New Yorkers have cheered for our team from packed living rooms in the Bronx to watch parties in Brooklyn, from bars in Queens to Staten Island to Manhattan, and Madison Square Garden itself. Now it’s time for our city to celebrate together. Bing bong.”
New York ended one of the NBA’s longest championship droughts in dramatic fashion. Entering the season, the Knicks’ title drought ranked as the league’s fifth-longest. They finally snapped it Saturday night in San Antonio, rallying from 16 points down to defeat the Spurs and clinch the series.
“To have the fans that we have in New York City, and be able to bring home a championship after all these years is absolutely amazing. It’s a surreal feeling. I mean, I don’t know how long it’s been since that final buzzer went off but I still don’t believe it,” Knicks coach Mike Brown said.
“I’m pinching myself. I’m telling myself to try to be present, all the stuff that I tell these guys every single day I’m trying do to do because — I can’t believe it,” Brown continued. “… I love my players, love the organization, but more importantly, let’s go New York. Let’s go New York. We can’t wait to get back home.”
The Knicks were reportedly planning to fly back to New York after the game on Saturday to celebrate.
